


Before I Fall Too Fast

by GMTYUniverse



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: (they are the oblivious walnuts by the way if that wasn't clear yet), Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Miscommunication, Teacher!Harry, They are all teachers here, Valentine's Day, but it's literally one sentence, oblivious walnuts, teacher!Louis, there's a super short mention of Past Louis/OMC in the beginning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-29
Updated: 2018-03-29
Packaged: 2019-04-14 13:16:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14136816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GMTYUniverse/pseuds/GMTYUniverse
Summary: ‘Hey Lou, want to hang out after work? Order in some curry?’He’s slightly surprised, because, well. “Didn’t you just say you had plans?”Harry’s cheeks flush as he shrugs it off.‘I just wanted them off my back. Truth is I’m gonna be terribly single and alone, but I thought we could be single and alone together - maybe we could make a proper night off of it? Play some FIFA, watch Grease...’He trails off with an impish grin, and Louis is pretty sure that his own face shows just how easy he is for his favourite musical.“Fine, I can’t say no to Danny and Sandy. That’d be mean of me.”It’s probably a really bad idea to spend Valentine’s Day with the guy that you’re actually crushing on, Louis knows that. However, it’s also really hard to say no to spending the most romantic day of the year - supposedly - with the one guy you’ve been crushing on for almost a year.





	Before I Fall Too Fast

Louis smiles to himself as he hears his students snicker from where he is standing just outside his classroom. It’s Valentine’s Day today, and it has sent the entire school abuzz with shy and giddy teenagers hoping to be the recipient of a rose.

Last year, Louis had been exactly like them - giddy himself too with all the different scenarios he’d come up with in his head on how Josh was going to surprise him. His boyfriend at the time had been so adamant in saying he didn’t like Valentine’s Day and that Louis shouldn’t plan anything either, that Louis had somehow believed that it was all a ruse to ensure he would be available on the day itself, and a big surprise would await him at the flat they shared. Turns out that Josh really wasn’t lying about hating Valentine’s Day, although he did have a huge surprise waiting for Louis in their bed, just not one that made Louis very happy. Walking in on his partner fucking someone else wasn’t exactly the happy Valentine’s Day gift he’d been hoping for.

But he’s over that. He is, he swears to himself as he grins at another student who hastily skids into the classroom just as the final bell rings and he turns to close the door. Louis is a relationship kind of guy, he likes domesticity, he likes having a partner to share everything with - but for the first time in a long time - he’s actually been single since that breakup. So instead of mourning the fact that he’s single, or that Josh turned out to be an arse 365 days ago, he’s set on celebrating his bachelorhood.

“Good morning everyone, settle down. I know romance’s in the air today, so let’s get right down to business. Have you all read the lesson plan?”

He sees some people nod with a smirk, some students just nod because they don’t want to admit they haven’t, and then there’s the ones who are trying to hide behind their classmates.

“If you had, you’d know we were supposed to continue on with our William Shakespeare analyses. But because today is a special day, I’ve made the executive decision as your teacher that we will _not_ be discussing Shakespearean tragedies.”

His students cheer happily, but they really should know better than to think that this’ll be the end of it. He grins at their enthusiasm, then motions for them to quiet down.

“Instead, we’ll be focusing on poetry - get those creative juices flowing so you can properly woo your crush!”

So maybe the collective groan of the teenage student body fills Louis with glee, he’s sure they’ll all thank him for it later. People hate cheesy poems, it’s better to be original, and well - as their English Literature teacher he’s best equipped to help them get their feelings sorted on paper.

 

They’re halfway through the class, and most students have begun to work on creating their own little 4 line poems, when a daring student raises her hand.

“Mister Tomlinson?”

He swirls around and smiles as he realises the girl is no other than Alexandra, a feisty little thing that he’s pretty sure will become an important person when she’s older but has for now set her sights on terorrizing all professors by asking smart questions and making witty remarks.

She kind of reminds him of himself.

‘Yes?’

“Do you have a Valentine this year? Someone to inspire you? I think we’d love an example of what it could lead us to write - so we have something to aim for,” she says with a mischievous expression painted on her face, biting her lip in an attempt to keep from smiling too big.

Louis shakes his head, quickly trying to decide whether or not he’s going to actually entertain her. He notes how mostly all students have now got their heads perked up, and well, if he can grab their attention somehow - he’ll take that victorious moment and run with it.

‘I do not, Alexandra. But it’s not so much about the person, moreso about the feeling they give you. What if they make you feel stronger? You could go something like this,’ he starts, clearing his throat, before reciting a poem he’d written years ago.

 

‘My heart, your heart sit tight like bookends. Pages between us, written with no end.

So many words we're not saying. Don't want to wait 'til it's gone, you make me strong.’

 

Another student lets out a groan, letting his head drop onto his desk. “I’ll never be able to write something like that.”

‘You’ll be fine Marcus, I think anyone appreciates the idea of someone writing them something special. In the end, it’s the thought that counts. Now, you’ve got 20 minutes left to come up with some ideas - get back to work!’

Louis lets his eyes roam around the classroom, smiling encouragingly at a couple of students who were working diligently on putting some words to paper. He can’t help but let out a disappointed tut as he sees that Alexandra, for all her curiosity earlier, is busier gossiping with her friends than working on the assignment.

He doesn’t like policing, finds it rather counterproductive to teaching - and he’s lucky in the sense that he generally doesn’t have to do it all that often, but sometimes he has to set the boundaries straight.

English literature is an important course, and Louis is their teacher - a funny, friendly one - but he’s not their peer, and he’s there to make sure they are educated.

Alexandra doesn’t seem all that perturbed at being called out by her teacher though, just shoots another grin at her classmates before focusing back on her work. When the bell rings and his students leave the room one by one, he can’t help but feel slightly weird about the looks they keep throwing him. As if they know something he doesn’t, and well, if there’s one thing Louis hates; it’s surprises.

He tries to chalk it up to the Valentine’s jitters running through the school, but it somehow feels personal when his next class comes in with smirks and snickers - not the shy, nervous excitement he’s used to seeing on students’ faces.

Suddenly, Louis can’t wait for lunch break either, eager to exchange experiences with his colleagues to see if he’s imagining things. Basically, he just wants to flat out complain and ask why his students seem to have it out for him today.

 

As soon as he enters the break room, his eyes are assaulted by an abundance of pink and reds. Liam shoots him an apologetic shrug from where he is seated behind an enormous bouquet of flowers.  

“Kids went wild yesterday with decorating, and Marie let them. Said it's good to celebrate love in all forms - especially when we get something out of it too.”

He can't help but laugh, imagining the event committee asking principal Heron for permission to decorate the teachers’ lounge.

It's quite sweet, he supposes as he catches sight of all the different cards that are laid out on the tables, seemingly one for every teacher.

‘Oi lads, what's your letter say?’ Niall asks loudly as he saunters over to where Liam is sitting. Louis is much too focused on grabbing his lunch from the fridge to pay attention to what Liam replies. He grins as he sees the Tupperware box with a pink Post-it note that has his name scribbled onto it. Louis can't quite remember what's supposed to be in there, so he quickly moves back to his friends’ table to open it.

Liam’s snort upon his arrival makes him raise an eyebrow, before lifting the lid. “Are you _still_ stuck in this weird mating ritual where Harry makes your meals and you communicate via sticky notes?”

‘Kindly fuck off Payno,’ Louis bites back as he carefully takes out the separate tub of homemade dressing and pours it over his salad. ‘Also - we do talk? I just saw him this morning in the parking lot, and I wished him a good day.’

He knows it’s a weak comeback, but he needs to clarify that he and Harry really  _do_ talk - they’re not exactly shy around one another. They might be forever stuck in the friendzone, and that’s possibly because Louis is convinced Harry’s way out of his league and would never be interested in him - but also they’re just… really great friends. They slotted together as soon as Harry started teaching Sociology at the school, and Louis doesn’t want to lose that connection, doesn’t want to ever risk their friendship.

Niall chortles out a laugh at that, and pats Louis back. “It’s fine Tommo - nothing wrong with a little colleague crush.”

He can feel blood rush to his cheeks when he notices how Barbara, the Maths teacher looks up interestedly at the ruckus that Niall is causing, and he kind of wants to hide underneath the table. He doesn't mind being the center of attention, but only for as long as he's in control of the situation and he decides what's making people flock to him. 

‘A little louder, why don’t you, huh? For fuck’s sake, you might as well just go and make announcements on the mic,’ Louis mutters darkly, glaring at Niall’s much too bubbly demeanour.

Niall shrugs, and Louis is about to say something else when suddenly he feels a large familiar hand clutch his shoulder.

“Such beautiful language coming from the English teacher today,” Harry says with a serene smile as he pulls up a chair to sit right next to Louis.

‘English _and_ drama teacher, so really you ought not to be surprised, young Harold.’

He knows that must’ve made Harry’s dimple pop even if he can't see it from where he's seated. Still, he can’t help but feel smug about the fact it’s his doing - just like he can’t help but slightly lean into the arm that Harry’s placed on the backside of his chair.

“How’ve classes been today? Think I’ve spotted 4 new couples just this morning,” he hears Harry say, addressing their friends.

Niall and Liam mutter something in return, gossiping about the personal lives of their students while Louis digs into the salad Harry had prepared for them.

“‘s it good?”

This time, the question is whispered softly - only meant to be heard by Louis - and he can’t help but smile as he looks back up to nod in Harry’s direction.

His green eyes shine brightly back at Louis’ own blue ones, a satisfied grin settling onto his face. He looks like he’s about to say something else, but they’re interrupted by Niall’s boisterous voice cutting right through their small bubble.

‘Harry, d’you have any romance planned for tonight then?’

It makes him tear his eyes away from Louis, and for that he kind of wants to smother Niall and his incredibly bad timing. Especially when Harry proceeds to smile and shrugs coyly. “Maybe.”

It seems for all his teasing, Niall definitely hadn’t expected that answer either - his eyes immediately flitting to Louis out of concern. Liam frowns too, but tries to rearrange his expression into something more neutral as he merely utters out a surprised ‘oh?’

“I mean, yeah - I’d rather not jinx anything, and I really like the guy, so err- yeah,” Harry stutters out less than eloquently, while Louis feels his gut sink to the floor.

 

Of course Harry’s got a Valentine already, he’s absolutely beautiful both inside and outside. Suddenly the hand that he’d settled on Louis’ chair feels wrong and too close for comfort, so Louis leans forward in an attempt to escape the warmth Harry seems to radiate. He wants to - _needs_ to change the topic right now, if he wants to not give himself away.

‘Right lads, tell me - are your students being extra cheeky today as well, or is it just me?’

Niall and Liam shake their heads, blaming it on the general excitement that’s got all students thrumming with energy.

Harry shrugs, finally dislodging his hand from Louis’ seat - allowing Louis to lean back again in peace as he takes another bite of his lunch. Not that he's got much of an appetite anymore, but it'd be a shame to just leave the salad be. “They’ve been a little rowdy, asking about Valentine’s Day and stuff, but isn’t that normal? I mean, I wasn’t here last year so I could be way off-mark.”

‘Yeah Tommo. Besides - those kids love you, you’ve been voted favourite teacher two years in a row now,’ Niall points out.

And normally, someone bringing that up would bring a semi-embarrassed yet proud smile to his face. Now, it only makes him shake his head. “Which is why it’s even weirder they’ve been so unsettled, I feel like they’re pulling me leg but I don’t even know about what!”

‘Nothing you can do about it now. Either they are and you’ll find out sooner or later, or they aren’t - and nothing happens. Just eat your salad and maybe help me decide whether I should buy a bouquet of red roses for Hailee or if I should go with lilies since those are her favourites,’ his friend continues as he shoves his phone into Louis’ line of sight to show him pictures of two different bouquets.

He rolls his eyes at that. “Nialler, you know Hailee won’t care about the flowers. She just cares that they’re coming from you. But if you’re asking me - go with her favourite. You’ve been dating too long to get away with roses.”

Harry scrunches his nose at that, and Louis’ not sure if he’s amused or disagreeing with Louis’ words, but Harry doesn’t elaborate so he just doesn’t ask.

They chat for a while longer, and Louis is totally engrossed in a story Liam’s telling about one of their students, Peter and his possible boyfriend Marcus, when the bell rings - signaling it’s time for them to get back to work.

Louis can't help himself - he is starting to feel giddy too, excited to witness the roses being delivered to their recipients in class. It’s not even a secret that Louis enjoys a little romance, he’s got a soft spot for good romance novels where two people are independently good, but are even greater and stronger together.

He knows that it’s just fiction though, knows in reality he can’t really expect grand gestures and epic love stories - especially not after last year's disaster. Still, there’s a small part of Louis that hopes he’ll meet someone one day who’s going to just sweep him off his feet, who’s going to make him believe that epic love stories _do_ exist in the real world.

Preferably that person would have the most beautiful curls and the loveliest green-coloured eyes.

But life isn’t a fairytale. He smiles as he sees the eager expressions on his students’ faces - realising that at least they still have that teenage naivete when it comes to love. They’re still in a position where life is throwing all sorts of opportunities their way, sometimes maybe too many even. Louis’ about to close the door once his final student scurries into the classroom, but then he spots Harry coming towards him with a smile on his face so he leans back against the doorway instead.

‘Hey Lou, want to hang out after work? Order in some curry?’

He’s slightly surprised, because, well. “Didn’t you just say you had plans?”

Harry’s cheeks flush as he shrugs it off.

‘I just wanted them off my back. Truth is I’m gonna be terribly single and alone, but I thought we could be single and alone together - maybe we could make a proper night off of it? Play some FIFA, watch Grease...’

He trails off with an impish grin, and Louis is pretty sure that his own face shows just how easy he is for his favourite musical.

“Fine, I can’t say no to Danny and Sandy. That’d be mean of me.”

It’s probably a really bad idea to spend Valentine’s Day with the guy that you’re actually crushing on, Louis knows that. However, it’s also really hard to say no to spending the most romantic day of the year - supposedly - with the one guy you’ve been crushing on for almost a year.

‘Alright, cool. You can just come over whenever, really. Just send me a text,’ Harry says excitedly, and Louis nods - then gets interrupted by the final bell ringing.

It’s a sign for Harry to get a move on, or he’ll be spectacularly late to his own class, and Louis has absolutely noticed the way some of the students’ eyes linger on his and Harry’s interactions. He turns around, closes the door and decidedly ignores the way his students are murmuring to each other. It’s not new - they do it all the time, not just with Harry, but also when Niall barges into his class, and with Liam too.

He wonders if it’s because Louis has been a little too open at times, but then again he’s the advisory teacher for the Drama and LGBT+ committee. They’re bound to be a bit more aware as to who Louis is outside of his classroom than their average teacher. 

‘Alright, I know you’re all excited about the roses you’re all going to receive, so I want to get as much as possible done before you all descend into love-induced chaos.’

His students giggle at that, but at least make an effort to open their textbooks. Their concentration lasts exactly 21 minutes, which is when the assigned Cupids knock on his door. He smiles at the cheers of all the students, and quietly catalogues exactly who is receiving roses.

 

“Ehm, Mr. Tomlinson,” Jake - one of the organisers of the rose distribution - suddenly says, making Louis turn around quizzically. The kids are staring again, and he’s not so sure why.

‘Yeah?’

Jake shuffles forward then and thrusts out a single red rose, urging for Louis to take it. Immediate panic flits through Louis’ brain - which of his students is crushing on him and has apparently come to the conclusion it’s okay to send Louis a rose? It's probably well meant but it's improper and he can already see Ms Heron fire him over this.  

“I can’t - I can’t take that. Is this a joke?” He asks breathlessly, feeling somewhat embarrassed of the position he’s been put in now.

Apparently his students find it funny, which makes him relax and put more stock into the theory of it all being one practical joke - but Jake and his fellow Cupids are fervently shaking their heads.

One brave student pipes up, ‘Read the card, Mister T!’

They all start shouting then, which pulls him out of his stupor, as he makes a grab for the rose and then motions for all of them to stop being rowdy and sit down.

“I'm not going to read the card, settle down. Now whoever thought of sending me a rose, that's very nice of you. But please don't do it again.”

Some of the students snicker at that, then turn to their own roses and cards again.

“I promise it’s not us. We actually got you a white rose - well, all teachers are getting one. We left the individual notes in the teacher's lounge. Thanks for helping so many of us, Mister T.”

This time it's Vivian speaking, and it means a lot to him that she's the one paying him the compliment, given the fact she confided in him about her sexuality mere months ago. She has grown so much since then, though, and it's lovely to see how confident and self-assured she is now. She knows who she is at the age of 16, and that's an admirable feat. For Louis to have played even the smallest part in that - it just makes him feel incredibly honoured.

But he obviously can't tell her that now in front of a class she isn't even a part of, so he just thanks all of the cupids collectively, before sending them on their way.

His class is still chattering a mile a minute to one another, and he decides to let them while he moves to sit at his desk. There are small cards attached to the roses, but he figures he’ll just read them later.

‘Okay, now that you’ve all gotten your dose of romance and laughter, let’s get back to it. I want you all to hand in your assignment sheet by the end of class.’

Some of his students groan, but for the most part try to at least make it look like they’re working on their poetry instead of gossiping.

It's difficult, Louis struggles with the urge to open his own card too, but he leaves it unopened and unread until class is over. He's got an hour in which he usually updates his lesson plans, which he guesses he is going to spend obsessing over this rose and the accompanying text instead. 

One of his students, Derek, passes his desk as he gets up to leave and smirks at Louis. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Mr. T!”

‘I do hope your homework’s readable this time, it’ll make my work much more enjoyable for sure,’ he jokes in reply, waving the assignment Derek hands him in the air.

He is alone then, and before he's even registered it himself, he's pulled out the card that came with his rose.

 

“ _Roses are red,_

_violets are blue,_

_Be my Valentine?_

_I think you're lovely Lou. - Harry_ ”

 

Louis’ heart skips a beat as he takes in the words one by one. Did Harry really send him a rose and a horribly cheesy, yet adorable poem for Valentine’s Day? He can’t quite believe it, and lets his eyes rake over the curly letters again and again in quick succession.

It’s much prettier than Harry’s normal scrabble, which is perfectly legible but definitely not as cursive. It probably means he spent extra time on writing the card, getting it all just right. 

Unless - unless someone is just trying to have some fun at Louis’ expense. He whips out his phone and shoots Niall a text.

_Mate, did you send me a rose???_

Niall just replies with a bunch of question marks, which Louis takes as a no. Liam’s too nice to come up with such a prank anyways, which only leaves one option that Louis doesn’t dare believe.

He gently puts the card back into the envelope, and puts it in his bag, then makes his way over to the teacher’s lounge. He’s fairly certain Harry’s still got a class to teach, so he’s going to have to wait before he can talk to him about it - confess his feelings. 

Louis reckons it’s time anyways, and what better day than Valentine’s Day to say that you’ve had a crush on someone for almost a year? He’s fairly sure he’s slightly in love with Harry at this point, but even Louis realises that it’d be slightly overdoing it if he started off with that statement.

 

Barbara’s still seated in the lounge, grading some maths tests, and initially only shoots him a brief glance, before looking right back up at him again.

“What’s got you smiling so much? I thought you said Valentine’s Day wasn’t for you,” she smirks.

Louis shrugs in defense, then takes a seat on the sofa he sometimes naps on - it’s not very professional, but then again, he’s seen almost every staff member succumb to the fluffy cushions at least once this past semester already.

‘Nothing, just had a good day. Students behaved good despite all the excitement,’ he replies, to which Barbara narrows her eyes.

“I can see you’re obviously lying, but I’m too busy with grading these final tests to really be bothered. I need tonight to be completely work-free, since Valentine's Day _definitely_ is for me.”

Louis’ about to ask her about her plans, he thinks he remembers her and her partner being together for 5 years now, which surely warrants some extra special plans, but he’s interrupted by the door slamming open.

‘Louis! _Please_ tell me you didn’t receive any roses yet,’ Liam pants as he jogs over to where Louis is sitting.

Confused, he shakes his head. “No, they already handed them out an hour ago, why?”

Liam sighs, then takes a seat right next to him and pats his shoulder. ‘I overheard something from the students.’

He pauses then, to Louis’ great annoyance. It should be clear to his friend and colleague by now that he doesn’t know what’s going on, and his ominous words only serve to create a sense of dread in his stomach. He doesn't like surprises. 

‘Apparently - and I really am sorry Lou, I wish I’d known earlier - they’ve been planning this for a while it seems, but the students are, well, _very_ invested in the idea of you and Harry getting together. So they thought it’d be fun to send you a rose in his name, and one to Harry in your name, give you a little push in the right direction, I suppose.’  


Yeah. Louis really hates surprises. Especially if they're bad ones. He suddenly feels cold all over. From disappointment, maybe. 

He doesn’t look up and just nods instead, because he knows he can’t quite bring himself to face Liam’s infamous puppy dog eyes staring back at him in pity. What’s worse is that he can’t even really be angry at his students - they didn’t do it to mock him, they genuinely want to see him happy, he _knows_ they had good intentions.

“Well. At least that explains their behaviour. Guess the fact I'm their favourite teacher had to come with some sort of con eventually, hmm?”

He laughs wryly, suddenly feeling a lot less excited about the prospect of having to spend an entire evening with Harry.

Harry who doesn’t even know any of this has transpired, has no clue about Louis’ feelings for him, and obviously doesn’t return any of those feelings either.

‘I don’t know what to say man. Maybe I shouldn’t have intercepted them, could’ve both used the momentum to kick your arse into gear,’ Liam jokes, earning himself a glare.

His friend backtracks, muttering something about it being ‘too soon’, then asks him whether or not he wants to be involved with devising a proper punishment for the students involved.

He’d rather just forget about the whole ordeal, is as much as he tells Liam, trusting him to solve the issue appropriately.

Tomorrow is gonna be annoying as is, facing the culprits who wanted to set him up with Harry in class. He’s not even sure if he’s going to find a way to address it heads on or if he’s awkwardly going to pretend he never did receive or read the card attached to the rose he was given.

 

“Listen, Liam - I’m gonna head home yeah?” He interrupts whatever it is Liam was telling him, but he sees understanding settle on his friend’s face as he briefly glances over.

He doesn’t like being pitied or babied, so he’d rather just sit in his home office trying and failing to distract himself by grading his students’ poems than waiting around for the inevitable confrontation with Harry.

“Don’t - you didn’t tell him, right? Keep it that way. Please,’ he urges Liam, and he can see the tilt of Liam’s lips as if he wants to say something in response but then decides against it upon taking in Louis’ facial expression.

He just wants forget about this ordeal.

Valentine’s Day is just really destined to suck for Louis, so it seems.

 

It’s around five PM when he receives a text that lets him know it’s time to face reality.

_Are you still coming over? Liam said you left right after you last class, would’ve expected your lazy bum on my sofa by now haha :)_

Louis knows Harry is joking, but it doesn’t do anything to cheer him up - it just makes him sad to think that he’s been so utterly friendzoned to the point where he’s going to spend _Valentine’s Day_ with his crush and zero chance of anything remotely romantic taking place.

It’s stupid that he’s suddenly so worked up over it, all because of a stupid card that hadn’t even been Harry’s. He kind of wonders how it’s possible that even though he’s seen Harry’s handwriting on little post-it notes everyday for months now, he _still_ didn’t see right through the fake message.

There’s nothing he can do now, except be grateful he was spared the embarrassment of confronting Harry about some fake love declaration and end up making a complete tit out of himself. He needs to get over himself, and go have a strictly platonic Valentine’s bro-laddy-lad evening with his just-mate Harry. 

He sighs, allows himself a few seconds to bury his face in his hands before picking up his phone and answering the text.

_Just wanted to finish some grading at home - felt like the violent pink hearts were attacking me from all sides lol, be over in a bit!_

He is an adult, and he will handle this situation like an adult. By never _ever_ mentioning it to Harry and pretending nothing at all has changed between them and most definitely not hint at the fact even the students have noticed how he moons over his colleague.

Louis is fine.

He will be perfectly fine.

 

Louis is decidedly _not_ fine, he realises, when he rings Harry’s doorbell and finds that Harry has changed out of his neat button-up for work into an incredibly cosy yet fancy looking sweater.

“Just in time Lou! Food just arrived like five minutes ago, I ordered your favourite - hope that’s okay? I mean, if not I can absolutely just whip something up, I made some cookie dough earlier and I have pizza dough in the freezer if you’d rather have pizza or -”

Still dazed by the fact Harry can look adorable and hot all at the same time in an oversized sweater, Louis just nods as he makes his way inside, grinning fondly at the way his friend rambles on and on.

‘S fine Hazza, since when have I ever said no to curry?’ He teases as he toes off his shoes and hangs his coat on an empty peg, before making his way into the living room.

He’s just about to plop down on the sofa when he hears Harry cough from behind him. “I eh- I thought it’d be nice to sit at the table for once? I ehm, plated everything and stuff.”

Louis glances over at the table and can’t help but scoff slightly at himself. Of course, on the day that he came _so_ close but was still _so_ far away from Harry liking him back, his friend decides to be really nice and for the first time in ages make them sit down at a beautifully laid out table. With fucking candles and flowers too, because karma obviously has it out for Louis.

He just sighs, then feigns a smile in Harry’s direction as he relocates to the table. Any other day he would’ve loved the set-up, and he wouldn’t have minded - but now he’s just being confronted with what could be his, yet isn’t. Basically, it reminds him only of how far he’s been shoved into the friendzone to the point where even a candlelit dinner on Valentine’s Day is deemed totally platonic. It kind of sucks.

They make small talk, but Louis knows that Harry has noticed that’s something off as the bouts of comfortable silence start to stretch and veer into decidedly uncomfortable territory. Harry seems relieved when he announces he needs to pop their dessert in the oven for a bit, happy to escape the weird atmosphere hanging around them at the moment.

Louis also doesn’t really know how to fix it, almost doesn’t _want_ to fix it. He knows it’s his fault, knows it’s because he’s in a pissy mood over something stupid, but he can’t help himself. He just feels disappointed in life, and quite possibly also in the fact he’s such a coward. When Harry returns from the kitchen with lava cakes, Louis’ favourite dessert, he’s ready to scream out at the irony of it all. He wonders if he’s done anything wrong in a previous life that’s put quite possibly the most perfect man for him in his orbit - only for him to fall in unrequited love with him, destined to circle each other forever.

Apparently the dramatics have translated to his facial expressions, because Harry puts down the lava cakes with a loud bang, one of them bursting open all on its own - rich chocolate steadily dripping onto the plate as he starts talking.

‘Right. Tell me what’s wrong right now. You’ve been off all night and I - I made your favourite! This isn’t how it’s supposed to go, I had a _plan_ \- I got your favourite curry, and I made these stupid lava cakes, but everything’s been weird and I want to know _why_?!’  

Harry looks genuinely distraught, which throws Louis off even further. He doesn’t want to be the cause of any type of distress, only ever wants to see Harry happy - he hadn't meant to ruin the night, even though he can't seem to stop his own thoughts from running away from him.

He hesitates, knows Harry’s going to call him out on lying, but what other option does he have, really?

“I’m sorry, I, I didn't - I promise I'm fine, it's really nothing, just some kids, you know?”

As Louis expects, all he gets in return is a raised eyebrow and pursed lips. He sighs, rubs his hands on his thighs, and focuses instead on the assortment of houseplants placed on the windowsill. Harry kind of collects them, which is something that Louis finds extremely weird, yet endearing. He can't help the small surge of warmth as he notices the plant he'd gifted Harry for his birthday mere weeks ago is proudly displayed centre-stage. 

“It’s honestly not a big deal, or anything. Just, there were some kids who - with the best intentions, of course - wanted to send me a rose for Valentine’s Day as well,” he decides on in the end. He hopes it’s enough to explain his prickly mood if he just lets Harry fill in the blanks in whatever way fits him best, and then they can just move on from the topic and instead focus on watching Grease and eating their lava cakes - they’ve undoubtedly cooled down already. Bummer.

It's not enough, though. Harry's still looking at him with those laser-focused look. So he babbles on.

“You know, make it seem like someone had a crush on me. Because apparently I’m single and sad. And now I’m here with you, and I guess it just makes me realise that I am in fact bitter and sad about being single. Oh God, I’ve become a moaning, old man that’s destined to be alone, haven’t I?”

He glances back over at Harry, a self-deprecating smile on his face, only to see his friend look back slightly offended.

‘It’s not _that_ terrible to spend Valentine’s Day with me, is it?’

 _No_ , Louis thinks, it’d be heavenly to spend Valentine’s Day with you - as boyfriends.

As an out-of-reach-just-friend, it’s kind of torture, though.

 

Harry huffs then, after Louis apparently takes too long to form a proper response, and looks away.

‘Well. Good to know, before I make an utter fool out of myself, I guess - _fuck_.’

It’s a muttered statement, but Louis hears it nonetheless and scrambles up to scan Harry’s face confusedly. “What did you say?”

‘I didn’t say anything,’ Harry replies instantly, cheeks turning red.

“Yes, you did. You even swore, and you know as well as I do that every teacher develops a heightened sensor towards swear words. Why’d you say that? And why lie?”

‘Don’t try and turn this on me now, why did you agree to come here if you didn’t want to in the first place!’ Harry insists, frown and hurt returning to his facial expression.

“I _do_ want to be here, which is _exactly_ the problem! I want to be here way too much, and not in the way you want me to.”

Louis mentally prepares himself for the inevitable rejection, now that he’s gotten so close to the truth, because how can Harry not be putting two and two together right now?

‘You know, you could’ve just said so, Louis.’ Harry’s voice breaks off. He sounds… disappointed, which is not at all what Louis was expecting. He doesn’t get it - _Louis_ is supposed to be the one who should be disappointed. ‘It’s okay, we’re best friends, I should’ve known. I’m just sorry for, well, all this. Erm. Maybe the guy your kids wanted to set you up with - it must be that new Chem teacher then, hmm - maybe you can still call him?’

It’s then that Louis’ exasperation wins out from his embarrassment, because he can’t believe what is coming out of Harry’s mouth, can’t believe this man can be so blind to what Louis is spelling out for him, can't believe that Harry is the one who seems rejected and dismayed the most.

“Oh my god, you do talk some shit - _call_ him?! I’m sitting in his living room! Harry, our students wanted to set me up _with you_!”

His outburst seems to finally stun Harry into silence, big green eyes looking up at Louis in surprise, as if he can’t quite believe Louis just said that.

He can’t believe it himself either. On the one hand it feels like a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders. On the other hand, the knowledge he's just altered their dynamic forever with this fact out in the open has placed a whole new burden on him instead.

They just keep staring at each other for a moment, and then a small smile starts creeping onto Harry’s lips, cheek returning to his expression. He’s not even mad at him for it, frankly he’s kind of fond of the fact that apparently Harry isn’t ashamed or embarrassed at all about the whole ordeal.

‘Oh,’ is all Harry ends up saying, a nervous giggle escaping him, then stops short again as he focuses back on Louis.

“Yeah, oh.” Louis responds, sighing deeply as he pinches the bridge of his nose. He is starting to regret coming to Harry’s place at all, now that he can’t take any of his words back no more. He feels vulnerable, and he doesn’t like it. Not without the reassurance that he’s going to have someone there to protect him. Someone to catch him when he falls. “Listen, I’m sorry if I’ve ruined the night, or quite possibly even our friendship and I can just le-”

‘Don’t you wanna try your lava cake?’ Harry interrupts him, an expectant yet mischievous smile creeping in as he nods in the direction of Louis’ dessert. ‘Before you, er - before you make any decisions, yeah. Just, at least try it.’

He nudges the plate in Louis’ direction, points at one lava cake in particular that's been decorated with a small L. Louis supposes there’s no harm in eating it, even though he doesn’t really get Harry’s insistence. Then again, at least it’ll give him some comfort before having to come to terms with the fact that him and Harry will never happen - not as lovers, only friends.

So he sighs before leaning in again, and cracks the little cake.

The colour of the sticky liquid seeping out takes him by surprise. It’s not chocolate, because it’s not the usual brown. Instead, it’s some type of gooey pink and... Louis just doesn’t understand.

‘They’re Valentine lava cakes. It’s raspberry. I wanted to make them for you, specifically. Because it’s Valentine’s Day. And I want to spend Valentine’s Day with _you_. Specifically.’

Harry looks shy as he speaks, while Louis is just completely flabbergasted by what is happening. He can’t help but need clarification, wants to hear Harry spell out exactly what he means.

“So, what you’re saying is that you want to spend Valentine’s Day with me?”

‘Yes,’ Harry laughs.

“Not as friends, though,” he states, even though it sounds more like a question to his own ears.  

Harry shakes his head at that, smile still on his face. ‘No.’

“Valentine’s Day, in the romantic sense, with me?”

Harry giggles, and nods. ‘I was trying to stealth-date you tonight, but, well - that didn’t really go as planned.’

“Oh.”

‘Yeah, oh,’ he replies teasingly, echoing Louis’ own words back at him from earlier in the conversation.

“So if I tell you that apparently my crush on you is so obvious our students tried to trick us into thinking we had sent each other roses and cheesy poems in hopes of something happening,” he trails off, glancing over at Harry whose hand slides over the table to grip his own.

‘Then I would tell you that my crush on _you_ was probably also really obvious to them, and I would love to have you as my actual, romantic Valentine and send you actual roses and cheesy poems too.’

Louis grins wide, feeling like thousands of butterflies have been let loose inside his body. He squeezes Harry’s hand once before launching himself into Harry’s lap.

“So, Valentine of mine. Would it be okay if I kiss you now? Non-platonically, super-romantically?”

Harry doesn’t respond, just smirks before surging up to connect their lips. 

And yeah. Maybe Valentine's Day can be Louis' thing, after all. 

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Lol this is super overdue, I'm so sorry I know it's been more than a month since Valentine's Day but I just never got around to posting it before!
> 
> Title taken from 'Catch Me' by Demi Lovato. 
> 
> If you liked this, please leave a kudo or a comment - it's much appreciated!


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